


Digital Love: Taking Online Dating to the Next Level

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Evil!Pidge, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Lance is a gamer, Modern AU, Pidge Angst, Pidge is a gamer, never play a video game with pidge if you value your dignity, pidge has no remorse, plance angst, plance shenangians teehee, ready player one vibes, they’re all gamers lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:40:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24155221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Lance McClain is a gamer. At Altea City Gamer Con, he has the honor to play alongside the ten best gamers in the country. He comes in second to the one and only Katie Holt. The two exchange numbers, but the sharpshooter is dumbfounded as to why she’d ignore him...“Sorry,” she finally shook her head, her hand drifting back to the hilt of the blade.“What for?” He cocked his head, attempting to see if there was anything she had missed.“For this. There can be only one winner, after all,” she smiled, thrusting the blade towards his chest.All he managed to say as his own suit shut down was, “You wound me, Pidge,”
Relationships: Lance/Pidge | Katie Holt
Comments: 58
Kudos: 31





	1. So you met a girl but she stabbed you

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!! On the conservatory server, an idea for this AU was pitched. Chibi-Pix illustrated some art for this AU that you can find here:
> 
> https://chibi-pix.tumblr.com/post/617936933319999488/some-of-us-have-been-chatting-about-a-possible-new
> 
> Enjoy!!

The room was full of echoing chatter and screams of encouragement. He exhaled as he pulled down on his VR set, watching his surroundings change to the digital world he had grown to love so much.

“Welcome, SHARPSH00TER,” A female computerized voice spoke into his ear. He was standing on a stumpy pedestal, blue lights adorning the small structure. Around him, the rest of the competitors were joining.

To his left, a boy with the gamertag “KnivesOut” entered, taking the role of the Red Player. On his right, a short girl entered.

She had long brown hair, messily thrown into a ponytail that spilled over her shoulders and down her back. Freckles littered her face, the gamertag “P1DG3” hanging over her head as the lights on her suit and pedestal flickered green.

“Welcome to Altea City Gamer Con!” The game’s host announced over the loudspeaker. “This is a game developed by Galra Enterprises, famously known for their detailed battle sims,” 

He watched as the short girl smirked, her own eyes scanning her competitors until they tangled with his own. 

He looked away, training his eyes forward at a gun that was propped high up in the tree branches.

“This specific sim, was designed specifically for this con! So, none of these players are familiar with it.” The host continued. “Now, the rules are simple. In this map, there’s a base. You need to find it, get in, figure out a way through the puzzles and obtain the flame of Kral Zera!”

He nodded, now making observations for the base and its entrance. 

“There can only be one winner- so kill whoever stands in your way. Are you ready?” The eager voice questioned. He nodded, jolting forward as an electrified gunshot rang in the distance.

His legs carried him towards the gun, his hands wrapping around the handle as he pressed his back to the tree. He slowly shifted until his body was hidden by foliage, but he had a firm visual on the remaining people at the start.

He aimed at a girl with red hair, dyed with streaks of blue and yellow. His eyes narrowed, and he pulled the trigger. The purple lights on her suit shut off, the hanging leaderboard in the sky signaling that “EzorPlays” was no longer in the game.

So far, so good. 

He turned, only for the red player to be holding a blade just before his throat.

“Wow, you really like knives, don’t you?” The boy in blue cocked an eyebrow. He looked at the threat again. Raven black hair curling at his shoulders. “And 80’s fashion- dios mio, is that a mullet?” 

A second later, the red lights flickered to nothing, kicking him from the game. His eyes widened, because standing just behind where the mullet man was, stood the girl.

And she was pretty cute.

And she was also holding a glowing green blade to his chest.

“Woah! Woah wait-“ he hollered. Her brows furrowed, and her stance refused to falter. “Wait, don’t kill me yet! I’m a great shot, I can help you!”

“Oh really?” She sarcastically retorted. He nodded, and she sighed. “That makes you even more of a threat-“

Her voice was cut off as he raised his gun, quickly shooting someone in the distance just as they pulled their own trigger.

“Move!” He yelled, pulling her wrist just as a bullet zipped past her side. 

“I could have dealt with that myself, ‘Sharpshooter’,” she groaned, pulling his hand away from her wrist.

“No you couldn’t,” he grinned. 

“Fine, you can work with me. But if you even think of double crossing me, I will have you dead before you can even call for your mom,” the girl threatened. 

“Yup, got it,” he agreed, watching as she lowered her weapon. “Now, any idea on how to find the base?” 

“Their first mistake was announcing it was Galra Enterprises who designed this. All of their games have secrets, and those secrets are all in plain sight. I was just feigning leaving the start when I saw you and that other guy, thought I’d get some kill XP,” she responded, gesturing for him to follow. 

“Why start?” The sharpshooter cocked his head in confusion.

“It’s the last place people would expect to find the base,” she shrugged, approaching the center of the clearing. She mumbled to herself, adjusting stones on the ground until they formed a symbol.

Her starting podium began to slide to the side. She giggled with a laugh that was dripping with pure joy, and it could only make him smile too.

They hopped into the hole, dropping to the ground just as the podium settled back in place.

“That’s the secret entrance, so it’s only a matter of time before other people find the real one,” she finally spoke, dragging him through a hallway. 

It looked like an abandoned lab, tubes and wires hung from the walls. Some were definitely in better shape than others. He felt like a character in an action or sci-fi movie, the dim corridors pulsing with such a distant and dystopian feel. 

“Wait,” Lance whispered. “The host said there were puzzles, so keep an eye out for some control room or something that looks like one of those Minecraft parkour maps,”

“Minecraft parkour- are you kidding me?” She rolled her eyes. “Aside from that, looking for a control room is a good idea. These games are precise so there’ll probably be some form of security footage,”

He nodded, holding his gun carefully as he watched her back. Minutes later, she yelled for him to come over.

The room he entered was full of computers, some broken in with shattered glass splayed around the monitor. Her form was hunched over one of the intact computers, fingers flying over the keyboard.

He looked over her shoulder, watching the screen as she worked.

“It looks like only a hacker could get in,” he frowned. 

A second later she chimed. “I’m in,”

His jaw dropped as she pulled open sets of security footage. His eyes were drawn to a room with a singular table in the center.

“There,” he pointed towards the room. She curtly nodded, shutting off the computer and once again gesturing for him to follow her. 

She pulled him back as someone else entered the room. He was tall and slim, pale skin and brown hair covering one side of his face. 

His gamertag said “GriffinGames” while his suit illuminated the room with an orange glow. The shorter girl drew her blade, the green pulse overpowering the orange. With a silent crawl, she lunged forward, successfully killing him.

“Ooh wow! Two players left, I wonder how this’ll pan out!” The host dramatically gasped.

He rolled his eyes, letting them land on the table before the two. Before him lay three objects- a knife, a book, and a key.

His eyebrows furrowed as he carefully studied the objects. The book’s spine was oddly stiff, but the knife had the same symbol his companion had made with the rocks.

“Pick the book,” she suddenly cut through the silence. “Pick the book, it’s got a secret compartment,”

“No, wait,” he hesitated. “This knife has that secret symbol etched into the hilt.

“Woah- I didn’t see that,” she gaped. He took her shock as a signal that this was what he had to pick. The table slid into the ground, another plate of metal covering the remaining objects.

“So what do we do with this?” He asked, looking at his surroundings.

“Can I see?” She responded. He nodded, handing the girl the blade. The way her eyes traced over every inch of it, careful honey dripping over every crevice with acute attention.

Her ponytail still reminded him of a waterfall, her long locks cascading down her shoulder like the steady pillars of water he’d visited with his family.

“Sorry,” she finally shook her head, her hand drifting back to the hilt of the blade.

“What for?” He cocked his head, attempting to see if there was anything she had missed.

“For this. There can be only one winner, after all,” she smiled, thrusting the blade towards his chest.

All he managed to say as his own suit shut down was, “You wound me, Pidge,” 

He pulled off his headset, placing them at the table right next to the advanced treadmill he stood on. He walked off of the stage, meeting with the friend that had come to the con with him.

“Lance!” His friend squeaked, rushing forward to hug him. “Oh, you were so close! I thought you learned your lesson about trusting pretty girls after Nyma stole your car,” 

“It’s okay, Hunk! She’s pretty awesome, too. I would have died way earlier without her, plus I wouldn’t have made it into the base when I did if not at all had she not gotten me in,” he shrugged, opening his locker and pulling out his clothes.

“I’m going to get changed and then see the rest of the match,” he smiled, turning to enter one of the changing stalls.

Lance unzipped the thick suit, peeling it off as he opted to pull on his comfortable jeans and blue sleeved shirt. His army green jacket was striped with orange, a soft white hood comforting his neck.

By the time he slipped out, the viewscreen showed that Pidge was in a final chamber, torch in hand. She scaled a staircase, carefully maneuvering as spikes and bullets shot towards her.

The crowd erupted into cheers as the pit was lit with purple flame, and the screen changed to display the leaderboard.

He was in second.

If she was the one in first, he could live with that. 

After he watched a check be brought her way, and a few photos were taken, she slipped off of the stage where Lance was watching from.

“Nice job,” he smiled, extending a hand for her to shake. “You gonna give me a name, Pidgeroo?”

“If you keep calling me that, no,” she snickered. 

“Fine, fine,” he dramatically shook his head.

“My name’s Katie,” she smiled. “What about you?”

“I’m Lance,” he winked. She snorted, walking towards one of the lockers and pulling out a pair of leggings with a shirt that was multiple shades of green and white. 

“Well, Lance. Shall I give you my number?” She dramatically nudged. Lance’s eyes widened as she walked off to the changing room.

“Wow, getting it with the ladies, huh?” Hunk elbowed him. He glared at his friend, pausing as Katie emerged from the changing room. 

She had taken her hair down, the chestnut locks messily sitting on her shoulders. Round glasses were perched on her nose, making her freckles stand out.

He blinked at her hand that was outstretched towards him. “What?”

“Your phone? So I can put my contact in?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“Wait what- oh!” He yelped, fumbling with his pockets to pull out his mobile. He handed it to her, unlocking it quickly. She punched in her number, handing the device back to Lance.

Katie Holt. 

“Text me later!” She winked. “Not everyday you meet a godly sharpshooter, we’ll have to play a game sometime!” 

He waved as she grabbed a black backpack and left the room.

Pidge sighed with relief as the door shut, looking at the check she held in her grasp. 

A hundred thousand dollars. That’s what she had won. It should be more than enough to help with her father’s hospital expenses, her and her brother’s education, and a steady few months of food and possibly bills.

They just had to hold on, her father was going to wake up. Any day now, he had to.

About two months ago there was an accident. Her father- Samuel Holt- was working on developing a gateway system that would allow for gamers to play VR games more efficiently.

He had been testing it out when it short circuited and set the building aflame. But, with the game he was testing it out with, he didn’t hear the alarms.

And with that game, he assumed he was simply feeling the effects of the sensory suit he had designed.

He had nearly died, his body going into a coma.

Her lips tugged into a frown as she pocketed the money, slipping into the nearest subway that was heading towards the apartments she forced herself to call home.

But, home was with her mom, dad, and brother.

Home was in the outskirts of San Diego, a two story house with easy roof access.

This was far from home.

She slid her metrocard across the sensor, pushing through the gate just as one of the subways pulled into the station. The doors shut behind her, the cart slowly beginning to move forward as she walked towards one of the poles.

She felt something push into her side, and her head swiveled towards the source. A tall man was next to her, long hair bleached white and a regal tone in his posture.

On her other side the girl she had killed in the tournament stood. Her eyes shifted down, freezing at the gun that was hidden in a way only she could see it.

She opened her mouth to ask what they wanted, but was cut off. “Not a word. Next stop you follow me or I shoot. I do not care who I hit, but whoever it is, will die,” he growled.

She pressed her lips together, legs slightly shaking as the train rolled to a halt. The door slid open, and she followed the man out, the redhead following behind with a hand pressed against her neck.

From afar it looked like two parents guiding their child, something nobody would bat an eye towards. 

She was pushed up the stairs, and exited to a quiet street. The stores were boarded up, the yellow glint of the moon casting an eerie glint on the damp concrete.

Now that they were alone, she opened her mouth to demand what they wanted, but never got the chance.

She was slammed against the wall by the girl, the breath being knocked out of her. The man pulled out a cloth, pressing it against her mouth and holding her nose.

Her body forced a breath, pulling her into a slumber.

She was unconscious by the time her phone dinged with an eager text.

_Hey Katie! It’s Lance!_

. . . . . . . .

“So. This girl betrays you in a tournament, costing you thousands of dollars, then gives you her number, only to ignore you?” Hunk clarifies. “That sounds like a jerk move,”

“Maybe she gave me the wrong number?” Lance reasoned.

“No, man… she’s pretty much a genius, she wouldn’t mess up her phone number,” Hunk shook his head.

“Why would she ignore me?” The tan boy protested.

“Some people like to gloat the fact they beat you, man. It’s not cool but that doesn’t stop people,” his friend shrugged, wrapping his arms around Lance.


	2. When you get your dream job but it’s actually a one-way ticket to your doom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets a job

Starting systems.  
Erase memory? [ ok ]  
Memory erased.  
Starting systems…

She blinked. 

A headband was fastened around her head, two diamond shaped lights pressed into the temple of her head. The rest of the headband crossed behind her head, wrapping around her jaw.

The suit she wore was skintight, a green triangle on her chest that pulsed with a pale green grow. The suit was darker at her upper chest, beneath her knees, and her forearms.

Like a circuit board, green lights shot down her arm and torso, wrapping around her thighs and spiraling at her feet.

Everything went red and she screamed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It had been roughly seven months since the gaming tournament in Altea City, and Lance was slowly forgetting about the girl he played against. 

It wasn’t that he wanted to forget about her- it was more of the fact she never responded to him, and Lance knew a rejection when he saw one. Jenny Shaybourne in freshman year of the Garrison? It’s a hard pass when the girl you sing your heart out to starts laughing after your ballad and walks off.

Lance didn’t exactly want to get his heart broken again, so he simply accepted the signals and slowly forgot.

“Hey, buddy!” Hunk chimed from the kitchen in their apartment. “Remember Katie? From the tournament?

“Sort of. I guess she’s sort of slipping my mind,” Lance admitted, looking down at his phone. Sort of was probably an understatement, but he didn’t want another joke about being in love with his killer- because he wasn’t.

“I used my _wonderful_ stalker skills to see if she has an instagram,” The Samoan smiled. Lance’s eyes widened- why was he just bringing this up now?

“Why did you do that? She clearly doesn’t want to talk to me. Like you said, just wanted to flaunt the fact she won- right?” He mumbled. 

“Katie Holt, her gamertag is P1DG3, no?” Hunk spoke, looking down at his phone.

“I think so,” Lance responded.

“Okay. Long brown hair, oversized glasses? Also extremely short, correct?” Hunk clarified. The Cuban nodded hesitantly, leaning over his friend’s shoulder to sneak a peek at the screen. 

There was a profile open- the username was KTSDplays and the profile picture was of Katie holding an award while beaming brightly. 

_Katie Holt, gamer by day and also by night. I also build things._

She had a steady amount of followers- about five hundred or so. She had three posts, the first one a photo of her playing a game, the second of her building a small cube, and the third announcing her attendance to Altea City Gamer Con. The posts were spread out over a few years, so they saw nothing too suspicious in the fact she hadn’t posted in months.

He opened the posts she was tagged in and saw loads of photos from the con, videos of their view screens and the stage. But nothing past that point. Before the con, she was tagged in a robotics competition but that was it.

“She didn’t have much of a social media presence,” Hunk hummed. 

“Didn’t really expect that,” Lance chuckled. “I thought she’d be some youtuber constantly getting in scandals and using her fame as an excuse,”

Because that’s what jerks did, right?

Because she was only ignoring him, no?

Nothing else was happening. Lance was sure of it. But yet, he wasn’t. Maybe it would be best to forget.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Allura wiped her brow as she pulled off her helmet, clipping off her harness and gently placing it on a hook. It had been about a week since a new virus had been released, but this one was proving to be more dangerous.

There were three casualties that had been reported so far. All of them had been reported with the same state.

Burst eardrums, blindness, and a strange rewiring in the brain that would lead to aggressive seizures until death finally arose.

It was dangerous and she had to stop it soon. 

The door slid open, and she slipped through the hallways, careful eyes looking over each coworker she passed by.

“Coran,” she called, pressing her hand against a doorway. It slid open, and she pressed forward.

A ginger haired man sat at a table, a cup of wine in hand as he stared off into the sky through a window.

“Coran,” she spoke again. Allura walked forward, wrapping her arms around him. “Father would not wish for you to be like this. You are my second father, he trusts you, and so do I,” she smiled.

He blinked, a smile etching onto his lips. “Alright, Princess,” 

“What are you… drinking,” her nose scrunched at the rancid scent that drifted into her senses. “It is vile,”

“None other than Pop Pop’s trusty nunvil! As he always said, a cup of this could chase away all the nasty thoughts,” he sighed, eyes twinkling with memory. “Anyways, what brings you to see me?”

“I was unable to locate the virus.. again. I’m certain it is somewhere, but it’s very well hidden amongst the code- Dr. Holt truly did an immaculate job in his programming,” Allura sighed, pulling out her hair elastic to run her fingers through the soft locks.

“A blessing and a shame, it is,” Coran shook his head. “Have you thought about gathering a new perspective?” 

“Well, not exactly,” Allura hesitated. “But father did create the simulation room to host up to five players, and as of now it is just me,” 

“Have you asked Lotor?” Coran raised an eyebrow. 

“No, I don’t think he’s interested in fighting a virus. In fact, I believe he’s planning on leaving Voltron soon to focus on his own career,” she pouted. “Do you truly think it is time to use the Lion System? Father said it was ready… but I am not certain that I am,”

“Just as you’ve told me, Princess- he trusts you, and so do I,” The older man smiled, resting a kind hand on the girl’s shoulders.

“Thank you, Coran,” she smiled, turning to exit the room. “Would you like to come with me?”

He eagerly nodded, and the two walked through the facility until they reached an elevator. Allura pressed her hand against the pad, the technology blinking blue and allowing them entry.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Dude! Not cool!” Hunk groaned as he fell down the icy mountain. “Now I’m stuck at the bottom! This is a co-op not a competition!”

“Sorry bud,” Lance grinned cruelly, hissing as he realized that he actually did need his friend for the next part of the game.

“And this is why Veronica likes playing with me more than you,” Hunk pouted, shutting his laptop and standing from the table. “Anyways, I’m going to get some tea, do you want me to make you whipped coffee with some milk?” 

“Yes, please!” Lance gasped. “You’re the best, man!”

“Ah, bup bup- what do we say?” Hunk raised an eyebrow, Lance mirroring the face.

“Fine, fine,” Lance sighed in acquiesce. “Hunk, the almighty ruler of the kitchen, the god of food and hugs, destroyer of salmonella- _thank you_ for your service,”

“That’s good,” he smiled, wading out of the room and to the kitchen. Lance beamed to himself, opening his phone and scrolling through some new emails.

_Blue Lion Project, Voltron Corporations_

_Lance Serrano-McClain, out of millions of candidates, you have been selected to represent the Blue Lion in Voltron Corp’s new project. This is a highly classified project, and you will be briefed on the basic details upon arrival._

_Your skills displayed at Altea City Gamer Con, Taujeer Game of Games, and the Balmera Crystal Controller Competition have been taken into careful consideration. Your esteemed accuracy and precision are wonderful attributes that we hope to see in our team, alongside your face._

_Voltron awaits you._   
_Head of Company, Allura Altea_

His jaw dropped as he reread the email, absorbing every last drop of information.

He was basically chosen as one of the best gamers and offered a job at one of the most advanced gaming companies in the world.

He was basically just handed his dream job.

“Hunk!” He yelled, running into the kitchen. “Hunk, I got a job!”

“Lance, I don’t think that Minecraft Gold Digger is an official job title,” the Samoan deadpanned, dumping a spoonful of instant coffee into a bowl.

“No! Voltron Corp emailed me and offered me a position in their new program!” He yelled excitedly.

Hunk practically dropped the bag of sugar.

“Oh thank _god_! I won’t be the only one paying rent!” He cheered, hugging the lanky teen. “This is amazing!”

“Well I don’t know what exactly the job is, I assume I go in tomorrow and they’ll tell me what they want. So, don’t get ahead of yourself,” the Cuban winked.

“Lance. You’re taking that job, even if I have to shove it down your throat,” Hunk’s eyes glared towards him. “Anyways, how much sugar do you want?”

“Just like how I like my ladies,” the tanned boy cackled, flashing a toothy grin with a hand gesture.

“Okay so no sugar?” Hunk raised an eyebrow.

“What? No! I love the sweet girls! Make my teeth rot with fluff!” Lance protested.

“Your first fling ended with the girl stealing your car. Your second fling ended with the girl trying to sleep with your _sister_ , and the third girl never responded to your texts. Do those sound like tooth-rotting fluffy sugar pies?” The taller man sighed, dumping two spoonfuls of sugar into the bowl. He gently began to whisk.

“Okay, but that wasn’t what I wanted,” Lance pursed his lips.

“Fair,” the chef shrugged. “Anyways, you’re going to work tomorrow, whether you want to or not,”

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

She didn’t know where she was, but it felt off. As far as she was able to figure out, green was good. Red was… bad? No, that was putting it lightly.

Red was a mixture of malice and pain- antagonistic? She wasn’t sure how to describe it, but it was a definite negative. 

At least she assumed it was bad- it was a bit difficult given the fact she had nothing to compare it to. No control test, simply the moment.

She found herself in a strange hotel-like building, the first floor had a bathroom, and a fuse next to the door. There was a storage cabinet, and then up a few steps there was a filing room.

If you walked further up the stairs, she saw a long hallway. At the end of it, there was a bulletin board with a paper pinned to it. Written in measly red handwriting, it said “The answer is in the dark”

What answer?

She frowned at the red color.

There were footsteps and a scream behind her, and then suddenly a girl was dashing out of one of the hallways and towards the storage cabinet.

“No! No! No! Why is this game scary!” She hollered. The gamertag above her head read as ‘Luca8821’.

She leapt into the cabinet, a black figure chasing after her but not opening the cabinet. She cocked her head.

The figure did scream, and so did the girl. 

She frowned, approaching the cabinet. The red returned, covering her vision. She wasn’t able to see what she was doing, but she had a good idea of what happened when the green returned.

Red was pooled at her feet.

_Game Over, Luca8821_

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Coran, there’s been another attack,” Allura whispered, fingers tapping anxiously at the table as they awaited the arrival of Lance.

About ten minutes after he was supposed to arrive, he burst into the room. He wiped sweat from his brow, trudging over to one of the seats.

“I’d say I’m fashionably late but I actually just got lost,” he groaned, blinking wildly before meeting Allura’s gaze. “Okay, Blue Lion project,”

“This is going to be a very.. difficult conversation, so if you are sensitive now is your chance to leave. After hearing what this project is about, you may not back out,” she pursed her lips.

“Deal,” Lance spoke. 

“So, as of this moment- an unknown company coded an extremely dangerous virus. This- paired with a limited technology that was created in order to allow VR players to interact and join one another’s games- has enabled the virus to freely walk through games that have active players in them,” the chocolate skinned girl frowned.

“I’m not good at coding, sorry-“ he apologized.

“It is not a matter of coding. The virus has a physical form, and it is slaughtering the players in the games it enters,” she stood, slamming her palm on the desk. Allura took a deep breath, sliding a photo across.

A girl with red hair and pale skin was laying in a puddle of her own blood. Her headphones were perched atop her head, but they were stained with blood. Her eyes were milky white, tear streaks that should have been clear were red and dripping down her cheeks.

“What the hell is this,” he whispered, paling as he looked at the photo longer. The old man behind Allura noticed, and plucked it from the Cuban’s grasp.

“This, is what you will be fighting against,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO much for all your support so far!! You’ve all been so kind and sweet and all your comments make me smile!!
> 
> The game Luca was in is actually real! It’s called Lucid Dream, and it’s free to download off of Steam! I played it, and heed my warning: there is blood and it is terrifying. I was on a voice call and I was yelling things like- “why is this so scary?!” and “no! no! nOPE STAY AWAY FROM MEEE”
> 
> But it was actually fun aside from the complete horror and fear! It took me about an hour to play through, so it isn’t too bad but it’s still a good run.


	3. So the power went out

_”This is what you’re fighting_

“Excuse me, what?” Lance eyebrows shot up. “When you offered me a job to play video games, you left out the part where my whole life's in jeopardy from whatever is causing this!” He shouted, pushing away from the desk and standing.

“Lance, you will be safe here,” Allura hushed. “Our machines cannot be hacked into the way the virus gets into the others- we are on our own grid that isn’t connected to its,”

“So I’m just going to let other people’s lives be in danger while I’m safe?” Lance frowned. “I’m not sure that I’m a fan of that,”

“You’re here to kill the virus. That’s what is going to ensure the safety of others,” Allura sighed, urging Lance to sit back down. The Cuban begrudgingly agreed.

“If you come with me, I can get you all ready to hop on into the simulator!” Coran cheered, gesturing for the blue eyed teen to follow him. He followed the man out of the door, through an elevator that sunk to the deeper levels of the building.

When it dinged open, his eyes widened in awe. Before him was a large room that was the size of his entire kitchen and family room combined. Five headsets hung from the ceiling, each above their own treadmill.

“This is where I’ll be working?” He questioned, approaching the station marked in blue. 

“Yes! Good observation!” The older man cheered, clapping his hands together excitedly. 

“Okay. So if I do this, I’m helping people?” Lance turned to face the two other people in the room.

“Yes, your actions will save the lives of many,” Allura smiled, approaching the lanky teen to fit the headset onto him. “Now, I’ll be meeting you in there shortly,”

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

She was cold. The green surrounding her felt as if it was fading, and she could only feel the cold rush of _something_ wash over her.

In fact, she didn’t know where she was or if this was even reality. Without truly knowing who she was, it was difficult for her to then comprehend what her purpose was- what she needed to do.

Was this truly her job? If red was bad, why was it constantly pooling at her feet? Is she doing what’s best? What even differentiates good from bad?

There was too much she didn’t know.

Her eyes shot open wide, red briefly consuming her vision before returning to the calm state she grew to associate with green. It happened again, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe.

She gasped, in a desperate attempt to draw in air. But she was only greeted by the cold rush of salty liquid rushing past her lips. Where had this come from? 

The colors continued to flash before her eyes. She clenched her eyes shut, in a weak attempt to block out the dizzying lights. 

When she opened them again, she was met with an unfamiliar environment. She was dressed in a gown, dripping with water as tubes hung limp at her side. Water was draining to her ankles, and then there was a flurry of motion.

Two people dashed towards her, pressing a few buttons against the glass container. She watched as the wall in front of her fell to the ground with a hiss, and she was dragged out by her arms.

She was weak, unable to even stand.

“Who are you?” She pondered aloud, allowing the strangers to guide her to another room. She was led to a bed, and forcefully pushed onto it.

She received no response, but a mask was placed onto her face. She felt a sweet scent overcome her senses, and everything was dark once again.

When she opened her eyes, she was back in the echoing void of nothingness- mazes of circuitry running beneath her feet.

Perhaps it was a dream? Or an illusion? 

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Woah, what just happened?” Lance remarked as the lights shut off without warning. 

“It looks like a power outage in the city- someone must have blown a fuse,” Coran called. “I’ll have backup power working in a tic!”

“What happens to the virus when the power’s down?” The Cuban raised an eyebrow. “Can it access the internet and stuff?”

“Firstly, it does not maneuver through the internet, Lance. That’s a completely different system. This virus travels through the Holt Code. It was developed by a company by the name of Garrison Games, but the company has gone out of business since a fire destroyed it’s central building and they lost their top developer,” she explained, taking a sip from her water bottle.

“What’s the Holt Code?” The blue eyed teen questioned.

“Samuel Holt- Garrison Games’ former lead developer created a code that linked all VR games together. Its intended use was to bring players together in an efficient and jovial manner, but it seems the virus has managed to get into the code and travel through all games connected to it,” Coran piped up.

“So, can we get a list of all the games connected and then like, shut them down?” Lance suggested, pointing a finger to the distance carelessly. “Then the virus can’t do anything,”

“We do not have access to the games that are connected- though, compiling a list is not a bad idea. From there we could get a user interface and attempt to see if there is any pattern to these attacks,” Allura nodded.

The lights blinked on, and Coran dropped the wires he had been fiddling with.

“Ah, looks like the national grid got to it before me,” he shook his head, twirling his ginger mustache.

“Okay, so crash course is- someone hacked into Holt Code thing and made a virus that kills people. I kill the virus and we’re good?” Lance clarified.

“Yes. You and a few others were selected. We reached out to a total of four teenagers, but only three of you have gotten back to us,” Allura confirmed, leading him back to her office.

“Who am I working with?” He asked, leaning over her shoulder to peer at the photos and names she pulled up.

“This is Keith Kogane, known as KnivesOut online,” she introduced the first male.

He had raven black hair with pale skin and purple eyes. The photo showed him in a red jacket, aviator goggles perched atop his head meanwhile his mullet flayed out at his neck.

“I know him! That guy almost killed me at Altea City Gamer Con!” Lance exclaimed. Coran snorted in the corner.

“Or course, lad! If he came close to killing the best, he’s definitely worth looking into! Besides, he won two Marmora Playoffs- and those are some of the toughest tournaments you’ll ever see,” Coran wiped away a tear.

“Regardless, this is Hunk Garret,” Allura rolled her eyes at Coran’s outburst.

“He’s my roommate!” The Cuban eagerly smiled.

“Then he needs no introduction,” Allura sighed, exiting the photos. “Keith is flying in from Korea, he will be here tomorrow. Hunk said he would come in tomorrow as well,”

“Perfect! We can get some coffee and have a chill first day on the squad,” he paused. “What if we remade a Brooklyn 99 scene?!”

“Lance- there will be no time for ‘coffee and a chill first day on the squad’ when the lives of people are at stake. Tonight I will compile a list of games under the Holt Code, as well as the top ranked gamers playing them,” Allura deadpanned.

“Okay, okay,” Lance dismissively sighed. “But do we get matching uniforms?”

“Sure, Lance. Now go home and get some rest, you’ll need it for tomorrow,” she pursed her lips. “And do not inform Hunk of what we’ve covered yet, I will brief him and Keith tomorrow,”

“Allura?” The lanky teen paused.

“Yes, Lance?” She responded, shutting her laptop and leaning on her arm.

“You said you contacted four people. Who was the fourth person?” He hummed.

“It is not important,” she dismissed, waving towards the door. “Now go, good night,”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Lotor,” a voice chimed from the distance. A tall, slender, figure emerged from shadows. She approached the man, leaning into his side. “The subject has been successfully placed back into the uh- stasis chambers or whatever,”

“Thank you, Ezor,” he yawned. “Have you found the source yet?”

“No, but I’m sure we’ll find it soon,” she shrugged, turning to throw a loose stone at the wall. “Floor’s loose,”

“I see, Ezor,” he growled in a monotone voice. “We will need to locate the source soon if we want to complete the plan. Have you patched the glitch where she can phase through our coding?”

“For the most part, I guess. Since she’s a living person there’s no way to completely patch it. And besides, we’ll find it eventually, Just chill for a bit,” Ezor whined. “Like, we have a deadly virus! Bodies piling at our doorstep like newborn babies! We have a lot so far, you can wait a little longer to get your stupid ‘quintessence frequency’ or whatever you call it,”

“It is not stupid, Ezor!” He hissed, hands clenching with rage as he turned to face the tanned girl. “I call it the quintessential frequency because it is the epiphany of perfection- the paragon of quality! If we can locate the source of it in Samuel Holt’s coding, than we can tune into all active headsets and _control_ them,”

“Mind control, gotcha,” she groaned. “Didn’t we already _break_ into Samuel Holt’s coding? That’s how we got the virus through,”

“It is more than simple mind control. With this power, we have the capability to get all the money and wealth we desire,” he smiled. “And did you learn nothing from our little adventure to Garrison Games?”

“I learned that fire’s a bitch,” she pouted.

“There is _always_ more than he lets on. After all, that is what he is famous for,” he smiled to himself.

“So that’s why we took his daughter, too?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m gonna start to try and update this Tuesdays/Fridays! I may miss a day though haha


	4. So you’ve come across a virus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Voltron fights a virus

“Coran. A lot of these are horror games,” Allura frowned. “Why on Earth are they being targeted for horror games?” 

“Perhaps it’s something to do with the excitement? Or bravery? Or could be a cruel way to cover up the deaths and chalk it up to heart attacks,” Coran pouted.

“Coran,” Allura hushed. Her fingers danced over the screen, narrowing down the final pinpoints of deaths and where in the game they had occurred. 

“So what do you have?” Lance poked his head over her shoulder. She rolled her eyes, pinning an image onto a corkboard. 

“So far there have been three games. Two of them had three casualties- the last of them having two,” she pointed towards the first game. “This is Rhome, it is a game that was designed to scare the player the more they got into it,”

“Is this one of the three death ones?” Lance raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, Lance,” Allura huffed. “Now, two of the attacks occurred here in the first elevator part. The virus entered and disrupted the code, altering the elevator’s intended animation. Instead of going down, it suddenly exploded. The high pitched frequencies and bright lights blinded the player,” 

“What about the third?” A new voice piqued from the corner of the room. Keith Kogane sat cross legged in a chair, appearing bored as he looked at the photos of the victims.

“They were crushed by a wall,” the tanned girl responded, displaying an image of the elevator and rising walls in the game. 

“So what was the second game?” A third boy weakly questioned, hands fidgeting anxiously as he saw the state that the bodies were in. 

“Fran Bow,” Lance read aloud. “How’d they die?”

“At the beginning, the virus affected the murderer in the backstory. It killed the player and the same lights and frequency was emitted,” she pursed her lips. “The second one was strangled by the distraught and insane girl near the cafeteria- and the third was murdered by the magician right outside the bathroom. All suffered the same injuries even with the different deaths,”

“This is one crazy virus. Who the heck would want to do this to someone?” Hunk frowned, looking at the next game cover. “Lucid Dream?”

“Remember when you lost that bet and had to play it?” Lance wiggled his eyebrows at the Samoan.

“I do, and I still remember crying because it was too scary!” Hunk whined, turning to Allura. “So I take it two people died in this one?” 

“Yes. The first one died in the jumpscare hallway, and then the next one…” she trailed off, fingers tracing over the photo. “We were too late. But, she died after stabbing the photo,” 

“It isn’t your fault, Allura. You didn’t create this,” Coran sighed, resting his hand on the woman’s shoulder. She gave a weak smile before turning back to the group.

“So, are we ready to hop into the simulator?” She questioned.

“You’re sure this won’t kill us?” The nervous boy questioned, holding onto Lance’s shoulder. “Like- these have been tested and everything?”

“Well, they h

aven’t exactly been tested but they are safe. They are on a seperate network that can penetrate into the Holt Code, but they cannot get to us. It is similar to a vacuum- we can go in, but the inside cannot exit,” Allura explained. “This makes it safe for us to interact with the virus,”

“This isn’t an ordinary virus in code?” Hunk asked. 

“No, it developed the form of a human,” Allura bit her lip. “But do not be fooled by this- it is extremely dangerous,” 

“Okay, so where are we going?” Keith mumbled, arms crossed as Allura led them towards the simulation room. 

“Well, each game has a top leaderboard. Each leaderboard has three places,” she began, counting off her fingers. “Third place- Bttljsebttljse is dead. Second place, Luca8821 is dead,” 

“Each game has had three deaths,” Lance continued, turning to Hunk.

“Which means that there’ll be a third attack towards the first place player in Lucid Dream!” He finished. 

“Right on, kiddos!” Coran cheered, opening the door and allowing the teens to file in. The man directed them each to their own station, helping them get into the gear.

Lance slipped his headset over his ears, adjusting the headphones before pulling the visor over his eyes. He was met with a mechanical room, blue lights edging into every corner. 

_Welcome, Blue Paladin_ was hovering in front of him on a holo screen. He pressed his hand against it, allowing a menu of games to be displayed before him. 

“Lucid Dream,” he spoke aloud, the list scrolling down until the desired game was on the screen. His fingers pressed against the icon, his surroundings changing.

He found himself in a bedroom, soon joined by Hunk and Keith. 

“Has anybody played this aside from Hunk?” The pale boy spoke, already patting down the room for hidden objects or trinkets. On one wall, there was a how to play guide. Meanwhile a student ID sat on the bed.

“I haven’t,” Lance admitted, gesturing towards the exit. “But I think we go this way,”

“Yeah, but it looks like whoever is currently playing already started the game because the filing room is unlocked- so is the office,” Hunk responded. “That means that they either have already stabbed the photo or are about to,”

“How do we find out if they did that yet?” Keith muttered, gloved fingers tracing over the wall. 

“Well, is the picture frame on the desk soaked with blood?” The Samoan sarcastically groaned.

“Yup,” came the Korean’s response.

“There’s your answer then,” Lance cut in, walking down the staircase. “The storage compartment is empty,” 

“They’re probably crossing to the mirror side, then,” Hunk hummed, stepping into the bathroom. 

There was a girl with blonde hair standing blankly in front of the mirror. Her eyes were _glowing_ a soft yellow, pulsing rhythmically with her breathing. 

Her hair was pulled back into two low ponytails that sat on her shoulders, the length of them running to the small of her back. Her bangs were braided into an entrancing crown, wrapping around the back of her head.

“Hello?” Lance called, waving a hand in front of her gaze. The yellow in her eyes didn’t cease- and she didn’t even react to Lance. 

“Is this.. a sign of the virus?” Hunk turned to Keith, who only shrugged in response. “Because eyes shouldn’t be glowing yellow,”

In the corner of his eye, Lance caught sight of a red glint in the mirror. “Everyone, step back,” 

“What?” Keith questioned, moving forwards to check what Lance had spotted. He caught wind of the red, carefully tracing it to one of the stalls.

“Who’s there?” Lance hollered, knocking on the door. Keith shot him a glare, eliciting an eye roll from the Cuban. 

When no response came, he kicked the door open. Kneeling on the ground was a small body, phasing in and out of the game with a glitched lag. 

“Get away,” it spoke in a distorted tone. The body it took the form of was skinny and short, short tufts of brown hair framing its face.

Its eyes were shielded by a red visor, the rest of its body adorned with lines glowing a deep red. 

“What are you?” Keith spat out, pulling out a knife and holding it against the thing’s throat.

“I don’t know!” It screeched. On the last word, it seemed to echo around the boys. It was significantly higher pitched.

It looked up, and even though its eyes were hidden, Lance swore it made eye contact with him.

His suspicions were confirmed when it charged forward towards him, hands outstretched and pulsing with a red energy. 

Lance dodged at the last second, stepping to the side as it crashed into the wall of the bathroom. For a split second it flashed to green before the red took over once again.

In that split second his gaze met with scared eyes- familiar eyes that he couldn’t place at the moment.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Keith’s grunt as he blocked an incoming blow from hitting Lance with his blade.

The cuban yelped, rolling towards the bathroom entrance where Hunk was still assessing the girl.

“Is this part of the game?” He breathed, looking back at the fight unfolding before them.

“No, there’s only an occasional jumpscare in the stalls- nothing like this,” he replied. “Something is wrong with this girl,”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious!” Keith grunted as he was thrown into the wall. The thing held its arm high and mighty, preparing to deal the final blow.

It turned back to green, and dropped Keith. Stumbling backwards, it disappeared from the game.

“What the heck was that about?” Keith panted heavily, sheathing his knife once again. “And where did it go?”

“It’s not here, at least. And at the moment that’s probably best,” Hunk bit his tongue. “We have to get out of here. This is VR so we can’t do anything about the girl- and if that thing is the virus, we need to get a plan,”

“Maybe we could ask it what it’s doing next time,” Lance shrugged. “It spoke to us before it attacked, so what’s stopping it from talking about what it’s doing?”

“Maybe the fact that it doesn’t even know what it is?” Keith retorted. “Look, let’s just focus on a plan,”

. . . . . . . . . . .

“Lotor, there’s been a development,” a stark voice spoke. The named man turned away from his desk to face the new member in the room.

“Thank you, Acxa. What is it?” He hummed, eyes tracing her face. 

“The virus has succeeded. We have obtained the correct frequency-“ she began, only to be cut off by Lotor.

“The quintessential frequency,” he breathed in awe. “Perfect, initiate the next stage of the plan. I have a few pawns I’d like to add to our collection- it would make this process much easier,”

“What do you want us to do?” Acxa cocked an eyebrow.

“Do you recall the flash drive that we took from Alfor’s lab before we destroyed Garrison Games?” Lotor sighed, boredom evident in his voice.

“Yes, what of it?” Acxa responded.

“Plug it into our dear virus’ chamber,” he ordered. He lazily looked at his fingernails.

“But sir-“ Acxa hesitated, reaching towards him before pulling her arms back.

“There are no buts, Acxa. Release the Green Lion,”


	5. So you’re partnered up with an emo teenager and you’re the bait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith have a little adventure

She couldn’t breathe, not with whatever this was hunched over her. Her lips were tightly pressed together, eyes scanning over the crouched figure before her. It was slender, yet bulked as its yellow eyes stared back. Red lines jutted down its prominent cheekbones, slithering around its paws and spine.

“Who are you,” she whispered, frowning as the thing stalked toward her. Its front legs bent as it stretched, emitting a low growl before standing again.

It didn’t respond, only tilting its head as if asking her the same question. She frowned once again as it lowered its head onto her own. 

“I’m not sure who I am,” she paused, “But they called me Sam’s once,” she sighed. Suddenly, she hissed as the dreaded red slipped into her vision when she blinked. It faded, but the creature’s eyes remained that vile shade of crimson that pooled at her feet. It dripped down its cheekbones, an unsettling feeling growing in her stomach.

. . . . . . . . .

“We were here? What kind of a game is that?” Lance scoffed after Allura shifted the screen. Hunk took a deep breath, following along with the photos on the screen.

“A multiplayer game that requires _teamwork_ , Lance,” she mutinously replied. “Only two of you can go on this mission, as it’s a strictly two player only game,” 

“So what’s so scary about ‘We Were Here’? Angry kids complaining about losing their naptime spot?” Lance smirked.

“Drowning, frostbite, impalement, and a marionette,” Keith raised an eyebrow.

“Oh. Okay yeah that sounds scary. Have you played it before?” The Cuban raised an eyebrow. Keith sighed, handing Lance his phone.

“No, I just read the trigger warnings in the game description,” the pale boy muttered. Allura had shut off the presentation, pulling out two flash drives from her desk.

“Lance and Keith, you two will be the ones going on this mission. You will need these,” she sighed, handing the small objects to the boys.

“What do these do?” Keith raised an eyebrow, looking carefully at the red cartridge he held in his grasp.

“These are Lions. When plugged into your headset, it gives you an aid that helps hold back potential threats, especially in this game. We haven’t tested them out completely, but the last beta team reported surges of power drawn from the game- like the ability to interact with water or fire where a normal player shouldn’t be able to,” the girl explained, already exiting the room.

“What am I going to be doing, then?” Hunk questioned, racing after her. Lance and Keith promptly towed behind.

“My boy! You’ll be helping me pinpoint what the virus is aiming to do! We may take a pit stop in Lucid Dream to double check on the girl you found!” Coran cheered, resting an arm on the Samoan’s shoulder and leading him away.

The remaining three people continued their trek to the simulator room, stepping out of the elevator with a soft chime alerting their arrival. 

Lance quickly plugged the drive into his headset, lowering it over his eyes and blinking them open to view the familiar blue room. He pressed his hand against the screen, searching for the game they were supposed to enter.

He loaded it, entering the room titled “Voltron”. The screen loaded and he found himself in a dungeon-like room.

“Keith?” He called out, looking around for the other boy. There was no sign of him. “Keith, buddy? You there?” He shouted again.

There came no reply. He bit down on his tongue, beginning to explore the room he found himself in. Barrels and toppled bookshelves surrounded him, books cluttered along the ground. On the far end of the room, two pillars stood against the wall- each with a closed eye etched into the stone.

He jumped as he saw the words scrawled on the wall in red. _The Answer Lies_.

He bit his tongue, continuing to a small alcove on the side of the room where a table lay. Atop it, a comm unit rested. He picked it up.

“Lance?” Keith’s voice spoke through. 

“Keith! Where are you?” The lanky teen responded, yelping as the carvings on the wall blinked open. The one on the left pulsed with blue light, the one on the right emanating a soft green.

“I.. don’t know. It looks like some sort of library?” Came his response after a moment’s hesitation. “This book says ‘Between the eyes’ though,”

“Between the eyes…?” Lance paused. “Oh! The answer lies between the eyes!” He shouted shifting to look at the two pillars before noticing the strange symbols etched into the wall. “By any chance, would there happen to be two eyes on the wall anywhere near you?”

“I have a poster with a bunch of eyes on it,” Keith replied. “It has four rows. The first row has a bunch of eyes in a neat, vertical line. The second has some symbols, so does the third. The fourth one has another neat line of eyes as well,” 

“Are any of those eyes on the left blue?” Lance asked, looking at the symbols displayed on the wall.

“Yes. There’s three with blue on the left,” the Korean affirmed.

“Okay, how about green on the right?” The boy questioned next.

“Yeah, there’s one. Do you need me to describe the symbols?” Came the monotone response. Lance hummed in agreement, stepping closer to the wall. “Okay. The first symbol is a circle with a vertical line through the center. Then, there is an ex centered in the circle, over the line,” 

“Got it,” Lance chimed, pressing the symbol. “What’s the next one?”

“It looks like a diagonal line, the bottom edging towards the left and top towards the right. At each end it flicks upwards or downwards, sort of like a check mark. The left side looks like the Nike logo,” Keith described, and Lance pressed the corresponding sigil.

“A door opened!” The Cuban eagerly announced, freezing as he entered the room.

“A door opened for me too, give me a second,” Keith groaned, audibly shuffling to get to his next location. “Okay, it looks like an art museum for me,”

“It looks like a cult circle for me!” Lance screamed, looking at his surroundings again. Countless candles surrounded him, a grandfather clock taunting him with every tick it sounded. A red carpet with a pentagram was centered on the ground, all while a painting of a skull, lion, bird… hybrid was framed in glory.

“Well good for you. On my end, I have a bunch of paintings. All of them have three sigils underneath them,” Keith explained.

“I have one painting, it has three empty slots under it. Just noticed this, but there’s a wall full of sigils in here, I can interact and place them,” he hummed, the edge of uneasy pushing itself onto his spine.

“Describe it to me,” the second player yawned.

“It’s like a duck. With duck feet. But also lion feet- and a human skull. Also a long feathery tail,” the tanned teen squinted at the portrait.

“Okay. Look at your sigils and one of them has a pi symbol kind of depicted on it. If it helps, there’s also a circle with a plus sign on top of it,” Keith sighed in a monotone voice.

“Mr. Pi guy! Who’s next?” Lance nodded, pushing the sigil plate into the first slot.

“It’s like a candelabra. Has three circles on top,” the raven haired boy hummed. “Then you’ll grab one that looks like the letter ‘f’. But instead of a line running through it, there’s two wide ‘v’s,” 

“A door opened!” Lance chuckled, stepping across the room to reach it. He couldn’t shake the feeling of being followed. “I have a staircase, what about you?”

“Hold on, the lights just shut off,” Keith groaned, while Lance wandered down a staircase. A locked door stood, the word “Green” written in yellow.

“Keith, water’s starting to rise- hurry up,” Lance called.

“Give me a second, it’s dark and I can’t see all the stairs I’m going down,” the Korean hissed back, stopping at the flooded basement. “Okay, what do you need me to do?”

“I don’t know! The door has the word Green written in a glowy yellow? Do something, I’m about to drown!” The Cuban screamed, hands already hitting away at the water rippling at his throat. “Keith, do something!”

“I’m trying, but I can’t see!” He shouted in response, rumbling in anger. Lance cursed , pushing himself away from the rising water. It suddenly halted, the growing pool spiralling towards the ceiling before floating upwards. “Crap, okay I got myself some time. Keith, did you solve the puzzle?” 

“I have three valves, a red, yellow, and blue one,” he replied.

“Turn the yellow and blue one!” The Cuban hollered, listening as the door in front of him clicked open.

“I found a map,” Keith yelled suddenly, and Lance bit his tongue.

“I’m in a maze, what does the map look like?” He spoke, looking in front of him. “The wall says to bring down the guiding light,” 

“The light! There’s a lever in here that turns on a light, give me a second,” Keith exclaimed, grunting before a grin grew on his face with a chuckle. “Take a right, then another right. Hit the lever,”

“Keith! Something just crawled by!” Lance screeched, dropping the lever with a panicked jump.

“It isn’t on the map, keep going,” the raven haired teen rolled his eyes, continuing to give directions and guide Lance through the maze.

He had reached the end of the maze, only reporting a few seeming corpses pulling themselves along the ground of the maze. 

“What is this, a chess game?” Lance announced, raising his eyebrow. He walked across the courtyard, shivering as snow began to fall over him. A generator caught his attention, and the lanky teen scurried over to inspect it.

After fumbling with the switches, it hummed and blinked green.

“I have a cassette tape called ‘the world’s best chess game’, I’m going to go play it,” Keith announced. “Okay, move the white pawn in front of the king forwards two,” he instructed.

“Okay,” Lance nodded, doing as told. 

“Move the black pawn in front of the king forward two,” he ordered next. Lance did as told. “Now, move the white bishop next to the king diagonally three,”

“Okay, I’m starting to get really cold. Is this where the frostbite part of the game plays in?” Lance questioned, huffing as another shiver wracked his spine.

“Probably. Move the black pawn in front of the knight forward once. Then move the white queen diagonal two,” Keith directed.

Lance did as told, finishing the game with a final move. A door slid open, the Cuban dashing through as black edged onto his vision.

“Is this… a stage set?” He asked, walking along and reading the labels before him. A lever titled “scene one” pulsed with white light, a switch labeled “blood light” off in the corner.

“Given the fact I just unlocked a theater, yes,” the Korean affirmed. “I’m on the stage, and something just entered. I think it’s part of the game but it doesn’t look friendly,”

“What?! Okay, well what do I do?” Lance shouted, panicking as he gazed over a set of cranks in front of him.

“Lance,” Keith whispered, the slightest hint of fear creeping into his voice. It was unnerving to hear, as Lance had grown to associate Keith as a lone wolf who feared nothing. “Lance, _it’s_ here,”

“Where?” The tanned teen hissed, looking around his own room for any sign of the virus. He only saw a trapdoor on the floor.

Without any second thought, he smashed it open and lept downwards, grunting as he collapsed onto the stage.

Eerily floating above the crowd, a black figure attached to multiple strings hung. Its eyes hummed with a white glow, all while a short stature phased in and out of the audience.

“We haven’t seen the player supposedly playing this, right?” Lance whispered urgently to Keith, who had his back pressed against the wall.

“Lance. We _are_ the players,” the pale boy hissed, eyes widening as the virus phased onto the foot of the stage.

The green lights flickered, an angry roar ripping through its body as the marionette’s eyes turned red. It morphed, body changing into that of a lion.

Black flecked off of the animal as it pulled towards the stage, tilting its head as its legs bent- ready to pounce.

The virus seemingly froze, only to mellow when the lights on its suit flashed red. It charged forward, knocking into Lance without warning. He groaned, falling into the ground as Keith charged forward, angrily throwing a fist at the small body.

The lights turned green, and it scuttled backwards quickly, eyes widening in fear. 

“You don’t know what you are, do you?” Lance breathed, watching scared hazel eyes analyze the room they were in.

“I doubt you do,” it hissed, arm twitching as red once again consumed them for a split second.

“You’re a virus, you’re made to kill,” Keith narrowed his eyes, pulling Lance to his feet.

“I don’t want to. Red is bad, red is antagonistic… it’s gory and consuming,” it whispered. Twitching again as it took another step backwards. “I don’t want to be red,”

“What’s your name?” Lance offered a strained smile.

“Lance, it doesn’t _have_ a name, it’s a code that kills people,” Keith hushed, dragging Lance behind him as he took a fighting stance.

“I don’t know. They called me Sam’s,” it frowned, phasing for a split second before reappearing in the audience. 

It ran.

Lance didn’t know why that name sounded so familiar, it was right at the tip of his tongue, the actual roots of it slipping from memory.

“We should leave the game,” the raven haired teen grunted, already opening his player menu and pressing exit.

Lance did the same.

. . . . . . . . . 

Ezor frowned, fingers tracing over the glass containing the short girl. The tubes surrounding her, connecting her to nutrition and oxygen support. 

The teen knew that Syncline and the Quintessential project could do so much, get her so much. But she also just wanted to live peacefully with her girlfriend out in the city. 

While Ezor may enjoy inflicting pain and misery, she still had a life ahead of her. The way the project was turning, Lotor was becoming frantic, thirsty, _desperate_ for more. 

But she’d do what was necessary to get by.

She turned away from the isolation chamber, exiting the room with the click of her boot’s heel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for bearing with me as I took some time to write this chapter! I recently began a personal project called Hira, so I’ve been putting some time into developing the world for this story. Anyways,
> 
> Download We Were Here on Steam for free here!  
> https://store.steampowered.com/app/582500/We_Were_Here/
> 
> If you need a player two and you know me on discord, I’m down!
> 
> See you next time!


	6. So apparently she isn't ignoring you. Bravo, stellar job.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance makes an unsettling discovery

Lance hugged his knees, the soft and silky fabric of his shirt not enough to hold back the growing heat swarming his neck and forehead. Within the past few days, he had seen things he never anticipated to see working in a mere gaming company. but alas, he had viewed dead bodies with blood dripping from their ears. He had seen a familiar face that hung in the back of his mind, one that he just couldn't place even though Lance was certain he had seen it before.

Seen _her_ before.

The virus was just on the tip of his tongue, so unique but still lost within the sea of faces, people he had known his entire life. Sam's, that's what she said she had been called. It could easily relate to a certain Sam Holt, after all she was traveling through a network the man had programmed. Holt. He had met a Holt before, but it was drifting away. The memory he needed didn't seem to want to surface.

Lance turned again. In Lucid Dream she had seemed so lost and scared, uncertain of what exactly she was. She didn't want to be doing this, Lance didn't think. She seemed too human, too sincere. The honey in her eyes melted whenever she threw a blow in someone's direction. There was no way she was controlling herself. Whoever she had referred to when whispering briefly about her identity had to be behind this, there was no other option. 

Yesterday when they interacted in the theater, she looked so confused. The sense of familiarity wouldn't retreat, he truly had seen her face before. With a tired sigh, he sat up and trudged towards his laptop, swiftly opening the device and unlocking it. Lance opened a search engine and paused. What exactly did he intend to look up?

_Sam Holt_

His fingers had a mind of their own, and suddenly he found himself on a page about the technological genius.

_Samuel Holt, more commonly known by Sam, was a lead developer and technician at Garrison Games. He also occasionally taught coding at the Garrison engineering university. Sam lived in San Diego with his wife, praised botanist Colleen Holt, his son, Garrison Games developer Matthew Holt, and his fifteen-year-old daughter, Katie Holt. On September 8th, 2026, Garrison Games abruptly caught ablaze late into the night while Sam Holt had been testing a new software. He was brought to the hospital upon being found, and has been discharged on April 12th, 2027 and is expected to make a full recovery..._

Katie Holt. Katie Holt, the girl he competed against at Altea City Gamer Con. Katie Holt, the girl he had lost to that day. Katie Holt, the girl who never responded to his texts. Lance's fingers danced across the keyboard, typing in her name.

_Katie Holt missing_

_Altea City Gamer Con Champion, Katie Holt, last seen exiting subway in Naxela_

_Katie Holt disappears after winning a gaming competition_

Lance froze. Naxela was known as a gang district of the city, it was full of crime and danger, so why Katie had exited the subway there was already a warning sign. If she had disappeared after the con, that most definitely explained the unanswered texts. He picked up his phone, opening Instagram and quickly searching for the username that popped into his mind. Sure enough, she was an exact replica of the virus.

She _was_ the virus.

He stood, pushing open the door and swiftly walking across the hall to Hunk's bedroom with laptop in hand. He knocked aggressively, the wooden door swinging open as a tired Samoan stepped into view, rubbing away the exhaustion from his eyes. 

"What is it, Lance?" he yawned, eyes landing on the lanky teen. Lance grabbed his hand, leading him to the kitchen counter before placing his laptop down on the smooth wood. Hunk didn't say anything, only picking up an empty glass and filling it with water.

"So, you know the virus?" the tanned boy began, typing in a few quick searches before clicking on an article he deemed to be Hunk's level of trustworthy. The other boy nodded, sipping silently as Lance continued. "I figured out who she is,"

Hunk spat out the water. "Who _she_ is? Lance, it's a code, it isn't anybody!" he choked out, stomping across the kitchen to collect a towel in order to pick up the mess that had been created. "You should sleep, you're clearly over exhausted from working so much,"

"No, Hunk. I seriously found something," Lance deadpanned, gesturing for his roommate to take a seat next to him. Hunk obliged, and the Cuban slid the laptop across the table. "When Keith and I interacted with her in the theater puzzle, she was so confused. She didn't know who she was, or what she was. She was scared. I asked her what her name was, and she said that they had called her Sam's,"

"So her name is Sams?" Hunk raised an eyebrow, cautiously pulling the laptop closer, all while keeping eye contact with Lance.

"No. I looked up Sam Holt, and guess what? He has a daughter," the blue eyed boy continued. "His daughter is named Katie Holt,"

"No..." Hunk whispered. "She's the one who ignored you and betrayed you, right?" 

"Yeah, read the article," Lance hummed, watching as the Samoan shifted to quickly sort through the information written in the article. His brown eyes intently slipped over each paragraph, absorbing the information as he silently scrolled through.

"So she got kidnapped or something?" Hunk's skin visibly paled as it dawned on him. She had been taken by someone, months ago as the tournament had taken place in December. He had convinced himself that she was ignoring Lance on purpose. "She got taken... and she still hasn't been found?"

"Except for the fact this so-called virus looks exactly like her," Lance concluded, pulling back his device and closing it. "The question now is what do we do?"

"Well, this completely changes everything. We originally planned to destroy the virus, but if whoever took her turned her into this.. then what would destroying it do to her? Hunk bit his lip. "We need to tell Allura first thing tomorrow so we can plan accordingly,"

"We don't even know who she was taken by! I doubt she knows either, she doesn't even know who she is!" Lance groaned, dropping his head into the counter in frustration. "How can we help if we don't know where she is? Physically, I mean. Unless they Infinity War'd her in?"

"Firstly, I doubt whoever did this is some purple guy with an obsession for power. Thanos is just a piece of fiction. Secondly, why don't we just tell her who she is? You met her once, I can probably find her brother's Instagram and message him. Allura would understand and probably let him in to talk with his sister, remind her of who she is. If we can jump start her memory, she can probably tell us who took her, right?" Hunk sighed, finishing his water. "We'll save her. After all, that's what we're supposed to do- save people,"

"Yeah," Lance bit his lip. "I guess I'm just really worried because it's been months since the con, and if she was taken on her way home, that's a long time to be in captivity, you know? She could be seriously hurt,"

"From what we've seen of her, she's physically okay. Just.. mentally jumbled. Possibly morally, but as you said she clearly didn't want to hurt people- so mainly just mentally jumbled," Hunk rambled before resting a sturdy hand on Lance's shoulder. "Let's find her brother and shoot him a message,"

"Hunk, it's two in the morning," Lance raised an eyebrow. "Do we really message a stranger at this hour of the night? He'll probably think we're insane or something,"

"Or that we have something important to say! It's best to do it now when we have time, tomorrow's bound to be a busy day at work. In Allura's briefing message she said that we were playing We Went Back which is pretty intricate," Hunk shrugged, already opening his phone. "Matthew Holt... oh yeah, this is definitely him,"

"We should say something like, 'We have a lead on your sister' or 'We need your help to save Katie'. Something straight to the point," Lance tapped his finger impatiently on the counter. 

"The last thing we want is to sound like her kidnappers, Lance. Something short and simple yes, but lead into the whole situation so we don't get blocked right off the bat. Schedule a meeting somewhere before pulling that out," Hunk soothed, swiftly typing something on his phone before tapping 'send'.

"What did you say?" Lance leaned over his shoulder in an attempt to see the message.

"Just a simple messaging asking how he was and if he was willing to talk with me. Basic human interaction," Hunk shrugged. "Now, it is time for us to sleep! We can discuss all of this tomorrow at work,"

"Alright. Good night, Hunk. Thanks for everything," the Cuban warmly smiled, slipping back into his bedroom and pulling the sheets over his body. He shut his eyes, but all he could see were her own eyes looking back at him.


	7. So a stranger saves you from a long legged skinned potato monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio goes into We Went Back. Katie tries to help.

That night Lance barely slept. There were so many thoughts running through his head- how had this happened? Did he get drunk an imagine all of this? Was Katie even still physically alive? There were too many variables and he couldn't make himself satisfied with any answer his brain provided. Eventually, he had managed to lull himself into an excuse for a resting state.

Lance shifted, turning to face his clock. It was early, barely eight in the morning, He rolled out of bed, stumbling across the wooden floor and into his closet. The Cuban pulled out his favorite army style jacket, as well as a fresh pair of jeans. Lance slipped a smooth shirt over his tanned skin, soon exiting the bedroom once he was fully clothed.

Hunk was in the kitchen, sliding pancakes onto two plates when Lance entered. The Samoan looked exhausted, bags tugging at the edge of his eyelids. Aside from this, a smile tugged at his lips as Hunk welcomed Lance and wished him a good morning.

"How'd you sleep?" Hunk piqued, slicing into the pancake in front of him and taking a bite. Lance shrugged, repeating the action for himself. The pancakes were sweet and soft, Lance would make sure to properly thank his roommate when he wasn't on the verge of passing out.

"Enough, what about you? _Did_ you even sleep?" Lance cocked an eyebrow, taking another bite from the meal in front of him. He wasn't certain himself how much he had slept, but the dark hours blurred together in a way it was too hard to discern.

"I think? I know at some point I was sleeping but after... all that I was honestly spooked. If someone has the technology capable of turning a living person into code, what's to say we aren't living in a simulated reality? Our lives could be fake. We may not even be real! We could just exist for the entertainment of people- the _real_ people-" Hunk rambled.

"Woah... it's way to early for an existential crisis, man. I'm sure that isn't the case, after all- there's no way something as handsome as me doesn't actually exist," Lance winked, dismissing the thought. His ocean blue eyes shifted towards the clock above the oven. "We should finish up if we want to make the eight fifteen bus,"

"You're right. Yeah, I'll deal with plates if you can get the elevator ready? Hunk looked at Lance, who hummed in agreement. The lanky teen slid his phone into his pocket, opening the apartment door and stepping down the hallway. The elevator was just down the hall, so he pressed the down button and waited.

Hunk trotted up to his side just as the elevator dinged. The two stepped forwards, patiently waiting to reach the ground before swiftly walking out of the lobby and around the street corner to the bus stop.

Lance checked his watch. "Five minutes until it gets here. Have you checked to see if Matt's sent a response?" he impatiently tapped his foot, eyes scanning down the street for any sign of the soon to be arriving vehicle. Hunk promptly exhaled, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"Not yet. But it does have a read receipt. If he doesn't respond by the time we get to work, I'll send a follow-up message just in case," the Samoan responded. The bus pulled in front of the stop, doors swinging open to let passengers file in. The two boys, along with a few other people, entered the bus and took their seats.

"I just... if I had done something when she didn't respond at first, maybe things wouldn't be this bad," Lance frowned, face settling with dejection. Hunk rested an arm on his shoulder pulling him in tightly.

"You guys were complete strangers. You didn't know her, or have any reason to believe anything else was going on. You thought what any other guy who got ghosted would think, and we'll just have to live with that. Right now, we need to focus on saving her," Hunk reassured. Lance nodded solemnly, beginning to change the subject.

"Did you research the game we're doing today at all? Because I totally spaced doing that and I swear if there are any jump scares, I can and will scream like a banshee," he questioned.

"No.. I vaguely remember a Markiplier play through of it. I don't remember any jump scares, so I think you'll be fine," Hunk shrugged. "I bet Keith researched it, though. He's like... some emo batman if you really think about it,"

"Wow, that guy has some serious burns," Lance suddenly breathed, eyes drifting into the distance as new passengers boarded the bus. A tall and slim man entered, flanked by three other women. The man's skin was splotched with purple, his silky hair bleached white and falling daintily over his shoulders.

 _"I'm slightly disappointed the Green Lion's coding failed to corrupt as intended. From the previous test, we did not record any dramatic changes. Though, one of our scientists reported a significant change in our original code. It was not altered by us, so I'm certain the next test will yield developing results,"_ the man grunted, sitting down a few seats away from the duo.

Green Lion- just as Allura explained with the additional flash drives she had given them, the Lions were systems designed to alter the game's experience. Lance didn't remember discussion of a Green Lion, he would have to ask Allura about it later that day.

 _"Yeah. Something definitely has to happen with that alteration eventually. I'm sure Greenie will do something for us,"_ one of the women chimed, her colorful locks Lance recognized from the tournament back in December, though he couldn't quite recall her gamertag.

The bus stopped in front of Voltron, and Lance paled as the man stood up. He bit his tongue, shuffling out of the bus alongside Hunk, who seemed to miss the conversation that had just occurred. The strange man lagged closely behind, branching off in a different direction once in the building.

 _Maybe they're developing it in another part of the tech labs for Allura. There's definitely a logical explanation behind all of this._ Lance attempted to reason for himself, but he still couldn't settle the feeling of uncertainty and _wrongness_ pooling in his gut. There was something so.. off.

Pushing his queasiness aside, he followed Hunk to Allura's office where Keith was already tapping away at his phone, energy drink in hand. The tanned woman looked up from her desk to greet the boys as they entered, cotton candy eyes sincere.

"Wonderful, you're here!" She smiled, connecting her computer to the projector and starting up a slideshow. "While Lance and Keith were in We Were Here, Hunk and Coran worked on transfiguring the Virus' attacking patterns. It led us to an anonymous game queue, which so far has had every targeted game in the order of attacks,"

"So someone's gaming list is really Santa's naughty list... if Santa were a murderer?" Keith trailed off, looking away from his screen to double check.

"I... would definitely not describe it that way myself, but sure, I suppose that works if you wish," Allura forced a smile. "I digress. The next game on this list was We Went Back, a game that takes place on an abandoned space station. It's a puzzle game, and you'll need to find the password to escape the station,"

"What's with games starting with 'we' lately?" Lance mumbled, fumbling with his phone as Allura began pointing at different photos from the game. The Cuban spaced out of the briefing, mind trailing back to the strange man's words... _Green Lion_.

"Hey, Allura?" Lance began, but was promptly shushed by Coran. He bit his lip, following the group down the same familiar path towards the simulator room. It was the same routine- headset, sensor suit, gauntlets. Step onto your treadmill, plug in your flash drive.

"This game was intended for single player use, so you may experience some... lagging if that is a sufficient way to put it," Allura smiled brightly, though her eyes seemed apologetic. "Good luck, everyone! I trust that you'll do whatever you can to override that virus,"

Lance didn't know what to say, so he simply nodded and turned on his system. The familiar grey walls and blue lighting washed over him, and he felt comforted and at home. The holo-screen popped up in front of him, the previous list of games now narrowed down significantly. He promptly slid his finger around the screen, until a small icon with an astronaut helmet displayed itself in front of him.

He pressed his palm down, watching as a new menu opened up around him. "Guys?" he called into the darkness, the eerie music washing over him with another wave of uneasiness.

"I'm here," Hunk chimed quickly, and Lance hit 'start game'. He was immediately met with Hunk in a small capsule.

"Well this certainly is tight," Lance bit his tongue, already beginning to pry at the edge of the capsule for some wait out of the small pod. His fingers found purchase, and with a swift pull, the doors slid open and the two stumbled out. The doors shut behind them, just as Keith spawned in.

"Are you kidding me?" The raven haired teen groaned, pushing the doors open to meet with the other two boys. Just as he stepped foot on the plated ground, the pod fizzled and disappeared from the game.

"Well that isn't creepy at all.." Hunk whined, pressing onward and gesturing for the others to follow him. "Let's just... keep going. The faster we are, the less creepy things we have to see,"

"I agree with that statement. But we should also make sure we don't look anything over-" Lance was cut off by a strangled scream as a swinging object collided with his face. He leapt backwards, pressing behind Hunk.

"It's just a camera, Lance," Keith rolled his eyes, picking up the object and sliding it into a bag over his shoulder. He walked forwards, Hunk and Lance following skeptically. They found themselves in a small hallway with multiple astronaut suits, which led into a recreational center.

A pool table was centered in one of the corners, tables and lockers lining the wall around it. A mirror with a sink and toothbrushes was pressed into the far corner of the alcove, meanwhile on the other side a small kitchen and lounge resided. The other half of the room was decked out in exercise equipment. On the far wall, there was a blueprint displaying a circular space ship of sorts.

There was a quick flash, and with a scream from Lance the previously disappeared pod was dead center in the room. Hunk grasped his roommate's hand, all while Keith shrugged and stumbled into the next room.

"Are you just _ignoring_ the pod that appeared out of nowhere? We're all going to die!" Lance hissed at Keith, quickly trotting forwards to catch up instead of being left behind. Keith sighed, rubbing his temples before turning to the Cuban.

"Allura said the game would be weird because it's only meant for one player, yet we're going in as three," he monotonously responded, brushing Lance off and continuing to walk through the walls lined with plants. Lance sighed, following the others through another doorway which brought the into a lab of sorts.

"Is that a mouse?" Hunk squeaked, pointing at a small cage resting on one of the tables in the lab. Lance wearily approached, stomach dropping at the small red-eyed creature in front of him.

"Yes, yes it is. And now we keep moving before the cage disappears and it kills us all," Lance piped, pressing to the end of the hall which presented a closed off door. He raised an eyebrow, bringing his hand towards the panel in front of him. The door swung open, and he was met with the first room they had began in.

"Is this.. a glitch?" Hunk soon was behind him, brown eyes looking over all of the same details from before, in search of anything different. He got his answer when he noticed that an additional pod that was initially intact, was now shattered with glass splayed all over the ground.

"Nope, there was a blueprint in the room with the pool table. It was shaped like a circle, I'm willing to bet my firstborn child it was of this station, which means we just walked in a circle," Lance responded, ignoring the shattered pod. "But hey! I also bet that the broken pod is another glitch! So let's keep going, nothing actually scary happened so far. It's just a puzzle game!"

"Whatever you say, sharpshooter," Keith rolled his eyes, lagging behind the lanky teen as he took the lead. "Anyways, I assume that's the door we're opening," he pointed to a large metal passage, accompanied by a small keypad.

"Woah, we're on the moon!" Lance gasped, approaching a window opposite to the large door. A rocky surface was barely visible in the darkness of the planet, but small lights were set up on the rocks, which were accompanied by a few crates. An inhumane creature suddenly crashed into the glass, it beginning to lace with cracks as Lance screeched. "Did you see that? It wants to kill me! Oh my god, we're going to die! _Por favor, Dios! No quiero morir hoy!_ "

"Lance, it's a game," Keith mumbled. "And what happened to you being so brave? I thought this game wasn't scary to you," a smirk tugged at the pale boy's lips as Lance audibly gasped.

"Guys-" Hunk interjected, pressing himself between the two other boys' intense glares. "Guys can we _please_ focus on the mission?"

"Oh, I am _so_ focused right now. You don't even _know_ how focused I am. I wasn't scared, it just crept up on me! I'll prove it, got it? You take that back _right_ now, Keith!" Lance spat aggressively, rolling up his sleeves and marching down the hallway.

"Uh.. Lance?" Keith's face suddenly washed with concern. The lanky teen twisted on his heel, continuing to walk backwards. "Lance, the suits are moving,"

"Oh you think you can scare me? I see what you're doing, and," Lance turned, throwing his middle finger behind him. "It isn't going to _work_ ,"

The suit to Lance's left suddenly crashed to the ground eliciting a horrified shriek from the tanned boy. He began to turn around, Hunk and Keith dashing towards him quickly.

"Okay, you two need to stop before Lance gets a heart attack," Hunk growled, stepping forwards only to be blocked. "Is there an invisible wall here?"

"Look, there's a vent," Keith pointed towards a hole in the wall, big enough for the three to crawl through. Lance shakily nodded, getting onto his knees and sliding the cover off of the wall. He suddenly dropped it, screaming as a slimy creature with irregularly long limbs lurched forwards, only to crawl back into the vent.

"No. No. I am not going in there, I'm done, I am deceased, I quit, this game has it _out_ for me, and I'm not standing for that at all. I'll just be chilling out here while you guys go on in, keeping watch and stuff," words spilled from Lance's mouth like vomit.

"Alright, if you're okay all alone out here," Keith shrugged, crawling into the tunnel. Lance bit his lip and nodded, watching as Hunk followed suit. "The thing isn't in here, it's a small room with some photos and moon phase charts. You sure you want to stay out there along?"

"I'm all good! I've got my buddy uh... Hank with me," Lance called back, sitting down on the ground next to the fallen space suit. His heart was pounding against his rib cage, and his head felt light with the rush of adrenaline that was flowing through his body.

"Did you seriously name the space suit Hank instead of Hunk? I'm wounded, man," Hunk jokingly hollered from the other room.

"Well _Hank_ didn't tell me there would be no jump scares, did he?" Lance huffed, turning towards the ground where the suit should have been. "Hank? Buddy? My man?"

"You good, Lance?" Keith questioned emerging from the vent, Hunk right behind him. The raven haired teen extended a hand for Lance to grab onto, the Cuban gladly accepting and getting to his feet quickly.

"Hank left me," he sighed, stepping into the recreational room. "Well, what did you guys find?"

"There were two photos on the wall, each had a glowing moon symbol. They also had a letter written on the photo- there was an 'I' and an 'L'. There were four empty squares near them. Given the fact we picked up a Polaroid camera earlier, I assume we need to find more moon things and photograph them," Keith explained.

Lance nodded, and walked down the halls alongside Hunk and Keith. They passed through the plants, pausing when the rat was no longer in its cage.

"I'm sure it's a glitch," Hunk mumbled, opening the door at the end of the hall. It opened to the recreational room. "Okay _this_ is definitely glitch,"

"Looks like a loop. Lance, you have the longest legs, can you run ahead and see if there's an exit somewhere? Hunk, you search the room with me for anything we may need in here," Keith instructed. Lance nodded, dashing down the extended hallway.

Each room was the same as the last, he could never see anything different every time he re-entered the room. Lance was sure he had gone through ten of the rooms before being greeted by a new door.

The door wasn't the only new thing in the room. There, in the corner, observing the blueprints, was none other than the virus. _Katie Holt_ , he reminded himself. He coughed, drawing her attention. The lights on her suit glowed a pale lime green, her honey eyes widening as she caught sight of the boy in the room.

"Get away," she hissed, foot sliding behind her quickly. Katie's hair, though significantly shorter, still framed her face with tufts of chestnut brown. Pale skin dotted with freckles, almost like constellations.

"Wait, I... I know who you are," Lance quickly fumbled over his words. Her eyes softened, but an eyebrow still raised. Her stance evened out, but her shoulders were still stiff.

"You.. know who I am?" Katie whispered, quickly narrowing her eyes again. "No, you don't. Nobody does because I _don't exist_. All I do is hurt, I'm red, red is _bad_ ," she rambled.

"Your name is Katie Holt. Someone.. did this to you, and I want to help. It's not your fault somebody's been controlling you, Katie. None of this is you- the _real_ you," Lance soothed, stepping closer to the girl. A myriad of emotions washed over her face- first shock, then skepticism, before settling on horrified.

"Holt..?" she trailed off, dropping to her knees. Lance cursed under his breath, rushing to her side. Did she shut down? Was she being pulled from the game? Did he cause something and inevitably worsen the situation?

He was brought back to her inconsistent mumbling, silent and jumbled words ranging from _Matt_ to _Crescent_.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_"Matt! I got a new game!" Katie cheered, running down the stairs at a speed their mother would have scolded her for. Matt was on the couch, clicking away at his device as Katie jumped next to him, elbowing her brother and opening her laptop._

_"Cool! What's it called, Pidge?" he beamed, putting his phone aside to open his own laptop. It had always been their own sibling tradition to download the same game and play it together, sometimes racing to see who could finish first, other times just helping one another._

_"It's called We Went Back. It's an adventure horror puzzle game that takes place in space!" Her eyes sparked as Matt chuckled, ruffling her long chestnut hair. He quickly downloaded the game for himself, launching it at the same time as Katie._

_They played for hours, occasionally laughing when the other yelped from a sudden jump scare, or leaning into the others' laptop to get them through a part only the other had completed._

_"I'm home, kiddos!" Sam Holt eagerly announced, front door shutting behind him. Katie punched in the final password of the game and leaping upwards to hug her dad._

_"What- you finished?" Matt gaped, putting his own computer onto the coffee table to enter the foyer. Katie was smirking deviously at her brother, their father struggling not to burst out laughing. She hummed in acknowledgment, patting Matt on the head. "Oh Kit-Kat, you're too good at video games. This isn't fair,"_

_"It's not my fault I'm just that good," Katie shot a wink in Matt's direction._

_"Katie, one day you'll do great things. But for now, be nice to your brother and go shut off the oven before the house burns down," Sam smiled, running a finger through her long hair. Her eyes widened, and she dashed into the kitchen._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lance bit his lip. It had been minutes since she blanked out, and he wasn't sure she would be coming back anytime soon. He leaned her against the bench in the lounge, slipping towards the door. He pressed his hand to the pad, door sliding open.

“Bingo,” he smirked to himself, the loop over and he once again entered the starting room. He crept forwards, noting how the previous shattered pod was now completely intact. 

He took another step forward, and suddenly something shot into him, pressing him against the wall. Lance looked down, Katie breathing heavily as her arms clenched the wall tightly.

Lance flushed at how close they were, her bright eyes wide but also emanating comfort. 

“Don’t go that way, go back to the loop,” she breathed, hand trailing downwards to meet with his own. “One more step and one of those _things_ would have slaughtered you,” 

“You saved me?” He gaped. “And you’ve played this game before?” 

“When you… said my name. Something came and kicked me in the behind. When I was little I played this game with my brother. Let’s just.. finish it so you can leave sooner,” she mumbled, dragging him back through the door. “Where’s the camera?”

“Keith has it, why?” Lance raised an eyebrow, following Katie down the loop; opposite the way he had come from.

“The reason for the loop is you missed one of the objects you need to photograph. Until you get that, you’re stuck in the loop,” she explained, freezing after a realization dawned on her. “You have multiple players in this game?”

“Well, you’re here, too-“ Lance was cut off by her sharp intake.

“As far as I’m aware, I’m code. I’m not a _player_ , technically as long as I’m here, I’m a part of the game. Meanwhile, you have two players. That could seriously disrupt how the game runs, things may not spawn correctly, and graphics will react… violently when they’re supposed to disappear,” Katie groaned.

“Is that what happened to Hank? The space suit that fell?” Lance raised an eyebrow.

“You _named_ it?” Her eyes widened quickly, but she paused. Softly exhaling, she ran a finger through her hair. “Okay. We’re going to get to Keith. And I’m going to show you the object you need to photograph,”

When they arrived in the next room, Hunk and Keith were observing the mirror.

“Lance! We found this mirror, and it has ‘help’ scratched into it!” Hunk eagerly shouted, noticing his friend’s reflection. Keith turned around, promptly freezing.

“The virus! Look out!” He hissed, pulling out his knife from the bag on his shoulder. Keith charged forward, keen on stopping her.

“What-“ Katie’s spine stiffened, and she quickly stepped out of the way. “Wait- hold on! I’m _helping_ you!”

“Keith, stop! We didn’t get the chance to explain this morning, but last night Lance and I figured out something- she isn’t just some virus, she’s Katie Holt. Something happened and she’s.. stuck like this,” Hunk quickly spat out. Keith grunted, putting his knife away.

“Fine. What do we do with the mirror,” he muttered, crossing his arms.

“Nothing. There’s an object on the pool table with a moon symbol that you need to photograph. The loops happen when you miss the objects you need,” she rolled her eyes, stepping forwards and picking up the small box. “See?” 

“I’d like to see that guy with the weird burns try to one up _thisDon’t go near her_.

She screamed, the colors completely giving out. Her eyes were completely black, branching off into stems that lined her skin. It was eerie- she almost looked _dead_.

Keith took his opportunity, driving the blade into her abdomen. Her blank eyes blinked up at him, mouth curling into an ‘o’.

Katie crumpled to the ground. Lance’s breath hitched, stepping backwards. “We need to go,” 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lance ripped off his headset, alerting Allura that something was wrong. He unplugged his flash drive, thrusting it into her hands. Hunk and Keith soon followed suit.

“We all need to have a serious conversation,” Keith growled, brushing past the two confused adults and storming off towards Allura’s office. Lance and Hunk exchanged a look, trailing behind him.

By the time they arrived, Keith had sat down in one of the chairs, arm crossed and anticipating the others’ arrival. Lance pushed the door open, Allura elbowing past him to sit at her desk. 

“What happened?” She spoke, straight to the point. Lance bit his lip, exchanging a glance with Hunk.

“So.. last night Hunk and I had a revelation. At Altea City Gamer Con, I came in second. First place, was P1DG3- aka Katie Holt. We exchanged numbers but she never responded, we assumed nothing much of it. But, the virus looked familiar. So I looked her up and Katie had gone missing the day of the con, according to her brother, never making it home,” the Cuban began. “Today when we saw her, I told her who she was. She said she got a flash to when she had played the game, and tried helping us- she even saved me from being killed,”

“Then she just.. turned kind of. Before this, whenever the lights on her suit were green, she was in control. When they were red, everything was hectic. Today it went black,” Keith grunted.

“Before that, she said Lotor- right after Lance mentioned some guy with a bunch of burns,” Hunk piped in, twiddling his fingers anxiously.

“Yeah! That guy! With the burns- this morning he got on the same bus as me and Hunk. He said something about a Green Lion,” Lance exclaimed suddenly. “I tried telling you this morning but there wasn’t time,”

Allura paled. Her eyes were wide, hand clenching tightly. “That’s impossible. The Green Lion was destroyed months ago. Garrison Games was helping develop it, and it was lost in the fire,” 

“Unless it wasn’t,” Lance shrugged. “He was talking abour how once they added it to their project it altered the code,”

“Okay, on the assumption it wasn’t destroyed, how does Lotor tie in? He’s just a developer at Voltron,” Allura frowned.

“Katie said his name. There’s no way that was a coincidence,” Keith stated bluntly. “Whoever he is, he’s involved,” 

“Guys? I don’t know if this is a bad time to mention this but.. Matt responded to my message. He wants to meet up at the café tomorrow,” Hunk shifted in his seat.

“Matt? He was the fourth one I reached out to. Why do you want to meet up with him?” Allura cocked an eyebrow.

“He’s Katie’s sister,” Lance responded.

“Then I guess it’s settled; tomorrow you’ll meet with Matt, and I’ll have a meeting with Lotor,” Allura rubbed here temple. “Okay, you can all go home and get some rest, tomorrow we’ll talk about this more,”

“Allura-“ Lance began, but was quickly shushed.

“Go home,” she pressed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Allura knew that she should take Lance’s word for it. She knew that if they had witness Lotor discuss the Green Lion, and that if the virus had uttered his name, it was a one-way ticket to betrayal.

But she didn’t want to believe. She had grown up alongside Lotor, and she knew him as a noble man. 

It wasn’t right.

She searched him up into the company’s database for the third time. Name. Lotor Sincline. Age. Twenty-three. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Her eyes narrowed. Was there a mistake? The address listed on his profile was different than the one he shipped his materials to.

Something was wrong.

And that place was where she’d find the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh!! This is my longest piece of writing (singularly) at 5125 words! You can download We Went Back here: 
> 
> https://store.steampowered.com/app/1218250/We_Went_Back/
> 
> Kudos make me smile, comments make my heart go weeewoooooo! Please drop a comment <3


End file.
